Trump says the government is ready as Florence approaches

John Wagner of The Washington Post

Tuesday

Sep 11, 2018 at 1:58 PM

With Hurricane Florence churning toward the Carolinas, President Donald Trump declared Tuesday that the government is "absolutely, totally prepared" for a storm expected to bring destructive winds and catastrophic flooding

"We have everybody standing by. We hope for the best," he said. "There's a chance it could be a very bad one, as you've probably heard. . . . But we are absolutely, totally prepared."

Trump made his brief comments at Joint Base Andrews as he returned to the Washington area after a trip to Pennsylvania, where he participated in a memorial service for those who perished on Flight 93 amid the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Trump was responding to a reporter's question.

Up until that point, the president had said relatively little about the hurricane, even as it started to dominate news coverage.

On Monday afternoon, he sent a tweet cautioning residents of the two states believed to be most at risk.

"To the incredible citizens of North Carolina, South Carolina and the entire East Coast - the storm looks very bad!" Trump said. "Please take all necessary precautions. We have already began mobilizing our assets to respond accordingly, and we are here for you!"

Trump faced significant criticism for his administration's response to the destruction in Puerto Rico from Hurricane Maria last year. He has continued to give his team high marks for the response, however.

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